Water closet



ug 10, 1937. c. E. WEXELBERG ET Al. 2,089,775

WATER CIIOSET Filed April 6, 1956 lil l C' drance ze erg, g We@ are CfHas.

. :Ji-@6am ATTORNEYS- Patented Aug. 10, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEWATER CLO SET poration of Michigan Application April 6, 1936, Serial No.72,940

13 Claims.

This invention relates to water closets and particularly to waterclosets in which the bowl is enclosed or concealed.

An object of the invention is to provide improved means wherebyconventional types of water closets having more or less unsightly bowlportions may be transformed into installations of pleasing andattractive appearance and wherein the transformation may beaccomplished, if

l0 desired, without the necessity of any reconstruction or alteration ofthe standard closet bowl.

A further object of the invention is to provide a water closet with abowl concealing panel or enclosing apron which can be applied to thepreviously installed water closet in an inexpensive and simple manner.

A further object of the invention is to provide afwater closet of theforegoing character in which the bowl portion and also the flush tankare concealed from view by the application tol the bowl and flush tankof pre-formed and shaped panels or enclosing housings.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will appearfromthe following description and appended claims when considered inconnection with the accompanying drawing form- Ving a part of thisspecification.

In said drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a water closet and flush tank structureembodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section, on an enlarged scale, takensubstantially along the line 3 3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a detail fragmentary vertical section, on an enlarged scale,taken substantially along the line 3 4 of Fig. 1.

Before explaining in detail the present invention it is tobe understoodthat the invention is not limited in its application to the details ofconstruction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and ofbeing practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to beunderstood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is forthe purpose of description and not of limitation, and it is not intendedto limit the invention claimed herein beyond the requirements of theprior art.

Referring now particularly to the drawing, there is shown a water closethaving a bowl I 0 provided with a base Illa. The bowl supports aconventional seat l2 provided on its under face with a rubber stop orbumper I3. The seat l2 in the present instance is concealed by means ofa lid I4 formed of sheet metal or the like and provided with rubberstops or bumpers l5 to prevent contact of the lid directly with theseat. The seat and cover, as shown, are mounted upon a pair of commonhinges I6 supported in conventional manner by the bowl.

As seen in Figs. 1 and 3, the upper edge of the bowl lll has an externalsurrounding bead or lip ll provided with an undercut groove Ila (Fig.3). As shown, the bead and groove extend around three sides of the bowl.

'I'he water closet structure includes an upright hush tank ll adapted tobe enclosed at four sides preferably by means of a pre-formed cover orhood, shown as a whole at I8. The lower edges of the front and end orside walls of the hood may be provided with an internally disposed beador beads I9 (Fig. 3) which are preferably formed by rolling the metalinwardly.

A panel or apron 20, formed of sheet metal or other similar material, isprovided for concealing a plurality of sides of the bowl I0, such as theside walls and the front wall thereof. In the present instance it isgenerally U-shape in formation to enclose the three exposed sides of thebowl. The panel is preferably formed from a single sheet of material,such as metal, and stamped to provide an inwardly and upwardly extendingflange 2| at its upper edge, an embossed strip or molding portion 22adjacent its lower edge (Fig. l) and a bead or rolled portion 23 at itslower edge (Fig. 4). The inner face of the panel 28, adjacent the beador rolled edge 23 is provided with a plurality of metal clips orfastener members, shown as a whole at 25. The clip comprises an outerleg 25a having a rolled or flanged lower edge providing a bead 26 and aninner leg 27 which, as shown, is straight and is spaced from the outerleg and connected thereto by a web or intervening strip of metal 25h.Each of the clips is substantially U-shaped in vertical cross section asshown in Fig. 4. The clip is preferably attached to the panel by spotwelding although it may be secured thereto in any other suitable andconvenient manner.

Before the panel 22 is applied to the closet bowl, an anchoring strip ormember, such as the angle bar 30, is mounted upon the floor adjacent thebase Illa. of the bowl and extends around and in close proximity tothree of its sides. This anchoring member 30I as shown, is U-shaped. Inany event, its shape corresponds substantially to the outline or contourof the bowl base 10a. The anchoring member has a horizontal fiange 3|and a vertical flange 32, the horizontal ange being attached to thefloor in any suitable manner.

In applying the panel or shield to the water closet bowl, the hookmembers or clips 25 are slipped over the upright flange 32 of theanchoring member so that the legs 2l' of the clips engage the, innerface of said flange, as best seen in Fig. 4. The panel is then elevatedto bring the top flange 2l thereof into position within the undercutgroove I Ia behind the bead or lip I I, as shown in Figs. l and 3. Withthe parts in this position a strip or mass of cement 33 is applied tothe floor against the upright flange 32 in suicient quantity to lill thespace between the floor and the bottom or rolled edge or bead 23 of thepanel. The cement serves to support the panel and maintain its flange 2lin engagement with the lip II. If desired, and for ornamental purposes,a finish molding may be applied to the exterior of the panel to concealthe joint and cement. A suitable molding or iinish strip for thispurpose is shown at 35 and maybe attached to the panel in anyy suitablemanner, as by means of screws or the like 36. j

The panel 2G and the nish molding 35 have an exterior nish correspondingto that of the bowl ID, the lid Il and the tank hood i8. Thus thevarious fparts of the whole structure have the appearance of beingformed of the same material. Inasmuch as the ange 2 I ts neatly beneathand is concealed by the lip II around all of the exposed sides of thebowl, the ornamental. appearance of the article, is enhanced.

As mentioned above and as shown in Fig. 1, .the flush tank I 'I ispreferably enclosed or housed by means of a metallic pre-formedenclosing cas ing or hoody E8; The bottom edges of the front wall andthe end walls'of the hood I8 are preferably rolled or coiled to form abead or beads I9, Fig. 3. rIv'hus the danger'Of'injuring the hands lwhenremoving the hood is eliminated by the "beunderstood that it may beemployed in connection with bowls of various types and shapes. Moreover,while I have shown one form of means vfor attaching the panel' orapronto the bowl it will beunderstood that various other means for thispurpose may be employed. The panel may be supported by means of a layeror body of cement'without the use of the molding or finishing strip 35.It is also possible to support the 'panel 2U in various other ways andwithout the use 'of cement, such, for example, as by employing a finishmolding ,or strip, such as the strip 35, and applying the strip `tothelower'edge of the panel by the use of screws such as the screws 36,

whichare alin'edor lbrought into register with and threaded intopreformed apertures lor openings formed `in the panel;k Furthermore, the

anchoring device 30 maybe attached to the base jof the bowl or mountedVupon the floor, as illustratedv herein. 1 We'claim:

1.. A water closet having a bowl, and a pressed metalpanel enclosing aplurality of' sides of said bowl andextendingfrom the bowl to asubstantially'hori'zontal.,` supporting surface around the front and aside or sides of the bowl.

thereof.

3. A water closet having a bowl mounted upon a floor surface, aremovable panel for enclosing and concealing a plurality of sidesof saidbowl, and means on said floor surface cooperating with the loweredge ofsaid panel for maintaining the panel' in enclosing position about thebowl in spaced relation to the bottom of the bowl.

4. A water closet structure including a bowl having an undercut bead atits upper edge, a substantially U-shaped member located at the base ofthe bowl and surrounding a plurality of sides thereof, a substantiallyU-shaped panel enclosing a plurality of sides of said bowl and saidmember, said panel having its upper edge engageable with said undercutbead, and a clip carried by said panel adjacent the bottom edge thereofengageable with said U-shaped member.

5. A water closet structure including *a bowl having an external bead atits upper edge, a substantially U-shaped member located at the base ofthe `bowl and surrounding three'sides thereof, a panel enclosingthrersides of said bowl and said member, said panel having itsupper'edge engageable with said bead, rand a pluralityof deviceslattached to theinner aCe of said panel adjacent its lower 'edge fordetachable 'engagement with said U-shaped member to hold the panel inenclosing position about said bowl.

6. A water closet 'structure including a bowlY having an undercutbead atits upper edge,'a substantially U-shaped member located at the base ofthe bowl and surrounding a plurality of sides thereof; la VVpanelenclosing a plurality of sides of said bowl Yand said member, said panelhaving its upper edge l,engageable with said undercut bead, a pluralityof devices attached to the inner face ofv said panel adjacent its loweredge for detachf undercut bead at 'its' upper edge, an anchoring memberlocated on said oor adjacent the base of said bowl,.and a panelsurrounding Va pluralityY tof sides'o'f, the'bowl and having means atits upper andllower edges" engaging respectively said bead andsaidanchoring member.

8. lAwater closet .including a bowl. adapted to bejmounted upon a` floorsurface and being formed of vitreousmaterial orv the like having anexternal depending ange extending around three sides thereof at its.upper edge, an anchoring member'v located on the floor adjacent andextending-around three sides' of the basel of said bowl, a 'panelenclosing three "sides of the bowl and having aV surrounding. flange atits' upper edge engagingl beneath said bowl flange, and a plu-V rality'ofy clips carriedby the inner face of said panel adjacent its lower edgefor releasably engaging'said anchoring memberrto maintain the panel infenclosing position about said bowl.

' v 9. A {water closet including a bowl having a rim and afbase adaptedto be 'set upon a floor surincluding a bowl adapted 'to' be mountedupona Viioor ,surface and formed off face', said bowl being formed 'ofvitreous material,

an anchoring member located adjacent and extending arcund three sides ofthe base of said bowl, a panel enclosing three sides of the bowl andhaving a surrounding flange at its upper edge engaging said bowl rim,means for attaching the lower edge of the panel to said anchoringmember, and a molding strip attached to the outer face of said panel atthe base thereof.

10. A water closet comprising a bowl and a base therefor adapted to bemounted upon a oor surface, and a pressed metal panel enclosing aplurality of sides of said bowl and base and extending substantiallyvertically from the rim of said bowl to said floor surface at pointsspaced outwardly from said base.

11. A water closet comprising a bowl provided with a rim and a baseadapted to be mounted upon a iloor surface, an anchoring memberextending around a plurality of sides of the base and spaced outwardlytherefrom, and a pressed metal panel enclosing a plurality of sides ofsaid bowl and base and extending substantially vertically from said rimto the anchoring member and attached to said member.

12. A water closet having a bowl provided with a rim and a base adaptedto be mounted upon a iioor surface, anchoring members located on saidfloor at three sides of said base and spaced outwardly therefrom, and apanel formed from a metal stamping adapted to enclose three sides ofsaid bowl and said base, the upper edge of said panel engaging said bowlrim and the lower edge of the panel engaging said anchoring members.

13. A water closet having a bowl provided with a rim and a base adaptedto be mounted upon a oor surface, anchoring members located on saidfloor at three sides of said base and spaced outwardly therefrom, apanel formed from a metal stamping adapted to enclose three sides ofsaid bowl and said base, the upper edge of said panel engaging said bowlrim and the lower edge of the panel engaging said anchoring members, anda molding strip corresponding in contour to the contour of said paneland adapted to be attached to the base of the panel to conceal the sameand said anchoring members.

CLARENCE E. WEELBERG. THEODORE C. HOBBS.

